


A game of patience

by KarmaDash_is_ShippingTrash



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: (This fic will add more tags/chapters), F/M, Fluff, Hux's coat porn, Mentions of background Reylo, One-Shot Series, Romantic Fluff, Secret dating, Sick Character, Sickfic, Slow Burn, Soft!Hux, modern!AU, office!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-04-25 08:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22284571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarmaDash_is_ShippingTrash/pseuds/KarmaDash_is_ShippingTrash
Summary: When Rose gets sick at the office Hux thinks its the worst thing ever and demands that she goes home to get over the sickness, and quickly.-A series of one-shots following the relationship of Rose/Hux after the original chapter. (Expect at least 15 chapters)
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Comments: 39
Kudos: 114





	1. Beginning of the game

**Author's Note:**

> Ho boy I am so rusty at writing form the past 3 years of only doing psychology assignments so apologises. 
> 
> Shout out to Pepsi (Persimonne) for being a quick Beta after I sent this over for a quick look, you're a queen forever ily. She did her hardest but I'm a simple idiot and will have probrably created more errors when adding to this.
> 
> Depending on freetime/want, I may turn this into a series of one-shots that follow some kind of timeline, so I'm marking this as complete because those will be 'surprise' bonus'.

Disgusting. That was Hux’s first thought looking across the office floor to find technician Rose Tico sniffling into the crook of her arm. He frowned watching her work through coughs and sneezes, spreading her sickness in the air. She was undoubtedly fixing another server issue with Dameron’s set up, and each brush of her fingers along the keys was surely causing her germs to be passed around from anybody close to her. Hux scoffed as the sound of her laughter turned into a deep heaving cough with a few of their coworkers sending concerned looks her way. None of them even bothered to offer her assistance. 

Rose was too kind, he hated that most. She was one of the first people to offer to help, even when she didn’t need to or even have the expertise. He could recall the many times she’d helped interns get adjusted, gone out of her way to assist her office friends. Rose was somebody that would even come in to the office if called, despite having worked a week straight and being in need of a break. Yet here she was, kind, hardworking, adorable even when riddled with cold Rose, being offered no help from the others here.

Hux glanced around the office wearing a scowl, noticing Rose’s usual hand of friends were nowhere to be seen, likely on a lunch-break, though he could recall that Saturday is a common day during which many aren’t required to work. After covering the floor he drew his attention back over to her, noticing the way she scrunched at her eyes, which had grown more red, finding his fist clenching around the armrest as nobody around her bothered to offer her the kindness she always brought with her. She shivered and smiled through it regardless. How dare they leave her like this.

It took her coughing again for Hux to stand, releasing his grasp on the arms of his chair and pushing it back a pace. He turned to grab his coat, a huff escaping his lips as he looked down at the large garment on his hands, realizing that it may dwarf her completely. He opened his office door and strode right across the way to stand behind her, she continued to work oblivious to his looming form behind her. Hux glared out toward anybody shoes gaze lingered on him, a small smirk crossing his lips as they turned their eyes back to their work.

“Go home, you’re going to spread your commoner’s cold around the whole office.”

Rose jumped, turning from her work to look up at Hux. Up close, Hux could see the toll that being sick was taking on her: she no longer looked like sunshine in a bottle, the glow in her cheeks replaced with red tones, which deepened around her eyes and nose. She blinked up at him before drawing her brows together, as she shivered again. 

“If you stayed in your office you wouldn’t get sick, I have work to do.”

Hux looked down at her, surprised at the harsh words from such a soft person, and found himself almost smiling at the fact she had bite even when sick, but he reined himself back from a condescending response as she turned from him, back to her task. With a quick flourish Hux draped his coat over her, crossing his arms as she quickly turned to glare up at him. He levelled his gaze with hers.

“You are sick, nobody here has bothered to offer you any help unlike when they fall ill and you trip over yourself making them feel better. Go home, get warm and  _ rest _ . This can wait until you’re better. I can’t bear the sight of you being sick.”

Hux paid no mind to the way his words sounded, as Rose felt her face go red because of them, they both knew exactly how he meant them. Rose sniffed again, blinking through the cold, while finding herself already feeling warmer from the weight of his coat on her shoulders. Hux stared at her, noticing that she made no move to leave and he scoffed, reaching for her wrist to lift her up.

“Gather your things and meet me at the entrance, you’re clearly too sick to make your way home safely. I’ll drive you.”

Rose gaped back at him as he gave her a gentle nudge away from the desk before turning the opposite direction and making his way to the elevator. Pushing the button to the car park Hux realised he had no idea where Rose actually lived, though he assumed, by the messy creature she was, that no matter where she did live he’d likely have to have the car cleaned deeply after her sneezing and coughing into every inch of its leather interior. Shaking his head, Hux waited for the all too familiar ding of the elevator reaching the designated floor, his long legs making the stride to his parking spot a short walk. He did a quick once-over to ensure everything was in order, not even an empty cup to make it look untidy before turning the searing to full so that the short walk from the building to the car would ensure Rose would be getting into a warm vehicle. 

Clicking play on the radio and turning it down for background noise, Hux waited outside the main doors, looking for her small figure. She was easy to spot as he assumed, she looked even smaller in his large coat now accompanied by a small bag with her few belongings making her appear almost like a lost child. She looked both ways leaving the doors, noticing the far too expensive car waiting for her. Walking quickly, feeling the cold breeze on her cheeks Rose bundled into the passenger side, relaxing into the seat and closing her eyes at the warmth of Hux’s coat and heating.

Rose opened her eyes to notice the tech within the car itself was fancy, and glancing up at Hux as he pulled away from the building, she decided to input her address to his system to save him having to ask for directions, before turning her attention out at the adding streets.

“Thank you, Hux.”

Hux glances from the road to her face noticing her look away, before she took an inhale, scrunching her face in an attempt to surprise a sneeze. She almost used the arm of his coat to sneeze into before thinking about how much he’d hate that: even in her sick haze she didn’t want to make him upset, especially in a small space alone with him. If this was any other day she’d happily have sneezed over the ridiculously overpriced coat.

“There’s tissues in the glove box, use as many as you need. And you’re welcome, I’m sure Rey would be all too happy to storm into my office and complain I let you work sick, and not just as an excuse to argue with me which I’ve figured is her favourite pastime.”

Rose blinked as she reached into the glove box to easily find a fresh pack of tissues, taking some quickly and instantly sneezing, feeling the relief of the release. Damn him being this nice. Folding the tissue over, she stuffed it into her bag, saving his too clean car and coat from her germs. Hux couldn’t help but let a smile creep into his face at the gesture, glad he wouldn’t have to ask and that she’d saved his coat from her mess.

“Rey’s not  _ that _ bad, she just likes to get under your skin to amuse me.”

“Amuse  _ you _ ?” Hux asked, his grip tightened on the steering wheel, only letting himself glance at the GPS instead of her face, feeling irritation creep under his skin. How dare they turn him into such a game. He ground his teeth, wondering why he’d bothered being so nice, clearly the mixed signals and occasional flirty comment she sent his was wasn’t genuine, just one large joke. A joke he was the butt of.

Rose looked down at her hands, feeling a blush rising to her cheeks as she cleared her throat. She didn't notice the change in his posture, instead thinking back to when it started.

“She found out that I uh, find you cute,” Rose let her voice go quite to admit it, before going back into her story to stop him from saying anything. “We went for drinks with a few of the others and I may have had a little too much, and mentioned that when you got mad at her and Ben for making out in the break room I thought that when your face got red you looked funny and she hasn’t let it go.”

Hux didn’t know what to say, he was used to people making fun of him, especially with the fact his genetics caused his face to become red as a tomato when angry. He would be angry but get over being a joke to them. But amusement, and finding him  _ cute _ of all things were entirely new. Rose looked over at him. His gaze was focused on the road ahead, and it felt too warm in the car, so she unbuckled herself and put the coat on her lap like a blanket and she started yawning. Despite her best efforts to stay awake, and to make sense of the silence of the journey despite the low sound of the radio, Rose found herself unable to fight the heaviness of her eyelids and the growing heat of the car from pulling her into sleep. 

Hux looked over at Rose as she fell asleep, letting himself sigh as he collected his thoughts enough to ask himself  _ why. _ Shaking his head, he decided that as long as she got home safe and got over the cold, she’d be back to normal soon, and by then he was sure he would’ve cast the thought from him mind, happy to once again ignore her and the riff-raff she associates with. The drive to her home wasn’t long by any means, and now he understood why she opted to walk or take a bus ride. Pulling up to the address was a surprise to find that she lived in a nice neighbourhood. Unlike her usually messy desk at work, her home looked cosy from the outside and well kept, with an abundance of flowers and life clear from afar. 

Hux noticed how Rose was still sound asleep, clearly exhausted from working through her cold, making him look from her to the door with an internal battle of whether to wake her and send her on her way or be a gentleman and carry her sleeping form into her home, and then wake her. Opting for the latter, Hux got out of his car taking his own keys with him. Feeling the chill of the air, he made his way around to the passenger side, opening the door to peek inside at her, huddled under his large coat – having pulled it further around her like a blanket. Letting his attention move from Rose, he carefully pressed against her bag, looking for where her keys would be to save rummaging through her belongings, finding that they were in the front pocket and easy to access. Taking a quick look around, he made his way and unlocked her door, before heading back to lift Rose from the car. 

With Rose safely in his arms, his coat up and around her shoulders, he locked the car and carried her into her home, glancing around. Hux didn’t want to snoop around too much, deciding that the closest bedroom would be best to ensure her personal space was respected. Lucky in finding a spare room after checking two, he laid her down onto the bed, before gently trying to wake her.

“Rose, you’re home, I’ll leave now.”

Rose let out a low grumble turning on her side and pulling Hux’s coat closer to her, refusing to even acknowledge his prompt. With a sigh, he looked around the almost empty room, noting that it must just be a spare for the occasional friend to stay, but it did have a few personal touches of some flowers, and a shelf with an odd assortment of books from educational to fiction. He found himself paying attention to the small details of the room, a place she’d never spend long amounts of time having the care to give its emptiness a homey feel.

“Hux?”

Rose’s voice was soft to draw him from his thoughts as he peered around the room. She was piling herself up to sit, glancing around to figure out where he’s put her.

“I felt it would be rude of me to wake you and leave you to walk inside so I brought you in... I hope you don’t mind. I’ll head out and let you rest now.”

Hux nodded curtly before turning on his heel to leave her home. He was more than prepared for her to curse at him for having taken her keys and let himself in. It didn’t matter that she may like him, he’d begun to ovething about crossing a line.

“Wait. Can you,” Hux looked over his shoulder to see her frowning at herself, raising a brow as he waited for her to finish her sentence. Accepting the scalding he deserved, she wouldn't let him down gently. “Can you make me some tea please? I’d call my sister but she’s working today and I don’t want to be anymore trouble.”

Hux felt unsure with how to proceed, confused that she wasn’t mad. Part of him thought because he’d been kind to her by driving her home that she was lenient to his behaviour. Was her flirting all that time with him come to mean more. After-all she and her crowd were  _ rebel scum _ always acting like teens with their pranks, and he’d hate it more if they didn’t have the sense to still complete their work to a good standard. Clearing his throat, Hux nodded. He’d make her tea, and be done with the whole ordeal. He could go back to ignoring his feelings.

“How do you like it? I assume the kitchen is that way.”

“Sugar and milk, and yeah to the left. Make yourself one if you’d like.”

Rose cursed at herself, practically offering an invitation for him to stay longer like a fool. She’d be glad to be rid of the cold, but her foggy brain only wanted simple comfort, and it didn’t care about her conflicting feelings of the cold man showing her more kindness she’d ever seen him display in all the years she’d known him. She noticed how awkward he was likely thinking the same thing. 

Hux entered the kitchen, and felt some kind of relief in the fact that she really was messy, her cluttered workspace mirroring the disorder of the utensils and dirty dishes still in the sink, and before he realised it, he was cleaning and neatening the area as the kettle boiled.  _ Stupid _ , he muttered to himself, wiping down the surface and opening a cupboard to find an abundance of various mugs on display. He took two from the front, trying to ignore the variety of styles and designs, noting the few with personalisations. Glad that everything was now neat, he started making Rose’s tea, even taking her offer and making instant coffee for himself. He warily took a sip, finding that it didn’t taste as bad as he’d assumed, although he’d prefer to have had his own preferred blend instead.

Carrying the mugs back to the bedroom, Hux found that Rose was no longer there. Despite knowing that she certainly had no en-suit to this room he took a look around as if she’d be somewhere. 

“Rose?” Hux called, standing in the doorway, hesitating to search for her, especially if she was changing into sleepwear, or even in need of the washroom.

“Upstairs, I’m not staying in the guest room of my own home.” Her voice called back softly and he let out a sigh of relief. Taking the stairs two at a time he waited atop them for any indication of what door was the master bedroom, before noticing only one door was open and watching as a small shadow crossed the wall. Careful of his hold on the mug with his coffee he tapped the back of the door with his knuckle, hearing a soft giggle from the other side.

“You don’t need to knock silly, come in, nothing here will bite. Ok, maybe Bell will.”

Hux peered around the door before entering, the room was vastly different from the guest room. _ Disgusting. _ Clothes were piled around the room, paper and pens across her desk and none of them neat. There was a mass of colour in the room from the walls, the flowers and the book sounded on shelves. He forced himself to focus on this, he wouldn’t find this cute or wondering, this was clutter and mess and nothing like the organised partner he’d want in his life. Rose reached out for a mug from under her duvet, drawing his attention back to her from the room itself, where he finally noticed ‘Bell’. The grey cat was pressed against Rose’s side with an intense focus on Hux, an intruder into their space. This cat must’ve been the movement he’d seen earlier to draw his attention when unsure of the master bedroom.

Taking the few steps around the clutter on her floor, Hux gave Rose her tea, his hand hesitating near the cat. The urge to run his fingers through Bell’s fur was strong, but he knew well enough that he had to be invited to do such a thing. Reminding himself of his error at being in their home uninvited. 

“Careful, she doesn’t take too well to strangers.” Rose said, unsure if Bell would decide to take a shot at him in the way she had with almost all her friends. Hux brushed along the fur of Bell’s head, and she stood, nudging herself closer to his arm in typical fashion of accepting attention, surprising Rose.

“Wow, she’s not that good with new people. There must be something about you.”

Hux chuckled, tapping Bell’s nose before withdrawing, realising that he was awkwardly bending over Rose. Taking a sip of the coffee he nodded toward the cat.

“I’ve my own, Millicent, a ball of trouble especially when she decides to make a mess of my work. But I love her all the same. I guess I know how to properly deal with temperamental creatures. Bell was it?” Rose found she liked the soft tone he had when talking of his cat. Rise found herself snorting at his comment, as he was the most temperamental creature at their entire office. 

“I’ll bet, I’ve long given up on having anything tidy when she makes it her goal to sleep or play with anything she wants. So uh, excuse this mess I guess, it’s not all me. We named her Rebel because of her attitude as a kitten, and over-time we ended up just calling her Bell.”

Rose blushed, hiding behind the cup as she put the blame on her cat for the mess of her room, but also from sharing details of her cat with her  _ boss _ . Hux shook his head with a laugh, knowing that her work was messy all the same with no cat to blame for that. He finished his coffee quick, feeling like a fool, standing in her room while watching her get herself comfortable.

“I really should leave you to rest.”

Rose hummed, her fingers stilling the motion of brushing along Bell’s back. She looked up at Hux with a smile. She may as well leave this on good terms in the hoppes he’d never bring it up again, and she could go back to pretending she didn’t have a crush on his stupid smug face.

“Thanks again Hux, I owe you.”

Hux huffed, waving her off with his free hand before taking a stride forward to pull his coat from the bottom of the bed where she left it, and lift it up over her shoulders and tucking it under her chin, careful of his his knuckles brushed against her skin.

“Just stay warm and get better,” before looking over at Bell. “Take care of her.”

Rose wanted to protest at being tucked in like a child but his coat felt warmer than her blankets, keeping her cosy. While she frowned at her cat, knowing she’d be the one demanding to be taken care of when it came close to feeding time.

“Oh to hell with it.”

Rose glanced up confused as Hux leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, shocking her. He continued to straighten his coat over her, mumbling to himself as Bell followed his hands for more attention. Rose blinked dumbfounded before coming back to her senses to know after complaining about making people sick he’d assured he was going to be soon. 

“What if you get sick?” Rose hissed, watching as he turned his head up, hiding the blush on his own face.

“Then I guess you do owe me the favor of making me tea and tucking  _ me _ into bed.”

Hux looked back over at the redness of Rose’s face, finding himself smirking. Two could play at this game. 

“Ah, I guess you're right. A red face does look cute.”

Rose gaped at him, feeling the blush on her cheeks deepening before glaring at his smug face. She hated that she found it attractive, sure that if she wasn’t too tired to move, she may have even tried to kiss him.

“Fine I will, but don’t go crying when I’m force feeding you soup and-and treating you like a huge baby.”

Amusement flashed into Hux’s eyes at the teasing bite of her words. He took the now empty mug from Rose’s hands, his fingers brushing over hers to test how far he could take this game. He found he quite liked the teasing coming from her, even when she was full of sickness and positively riddled with germs.

“I look forward to it. Get well soon Rose, don’t come back to work tomorrow or I’ll march you back home myself.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Rose took the bait of the, wiggling from under his large coat. Bell had moved to perch on her legs, watching the pair with rapt attention.

“If you want it to be.”

“Your phone.”

Confusion flashed across his face as he noticed she’d been moving to free her hand. He hesitated in reaching for it, pulling it out to find many messages from Mitaka about his whereabouts he deleted from his menu. He wasn’t sure how this was related to the game, but she looked adorable with the pot on her face, and defeated, unlocked his phone and handed it to her.

“There. You have my number, if you get sick just call or text, ok?” 

Looking down he found that she saved her number to his contact, even daring to use the damn rose  _ emoji _ instead of her name, the only message in the conversation a simple heart. Swallowing, Hux nodded at her. So this was the game she wanted to play, he was happy to comply in this dance.

“I’ll take my leave now, goodbye Rose.”

“Goodnight Hux.” She replied with a smile, getting comfortable as Bell moved to rest atop her chest protectively. Turning from her room Hux made his way to the kitchen, washed the mugs in the drainer, and cleaned the area as much as he could before getting a hold of himself. He needed to leave, before he cleaned her whole house. 

Taking out his phone, Hux responded to Mitaka that something had come up and to reschedule whatever meeting he could. Before closing his phone he focused on Rose’s contact, unsure of what to say.

_ Get well soon Rose, and don’t forget what I said. _

He waited a moment, considering his options before sending a delayed heart of his own and pulling himself together enough to leave her home, careful to be quiet, while making sure her door was locked, for safety and heading to his car.

He smiled to himself as he got in, turning up the radio at the sound of a sappy love song. With one last glance at her home he pulled off heading to grab medicine, sure that he’d end up back again tomorrow. Afterall, she lives in filth, she was surely going to be ill for a few more days, and even more sure that due to prolonged contact with her sickness, he’d fall ill in a matter of days. 

He let his mind wander to how the game may change over the next week, looking forward to spending more time with  _ his _ disgusting, kind, hardworking, adorable and riddled with a cold Rose. He wouldn't lose, he wouldn’t be the first to admit the attraction. Let this game commence. Maybe there was another office couple on the horizon. 


	2. Raise the Stakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux did in fact get sick, and is being an annoying baby about it. (So Rose treats him like one).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes the sickfic parts, from now on you can enjoy a slowburn of idiots dancing around feelings.
> 
> Unbeta'd this time, all errors are my own, I just really wanted to publish this XD

  
  


As they’d both expected by the time Rose had recovered from her own cold Hux had fallen ill. Rose wasn’t surprised by this, but upon her return she had gotten more attention from co-worked, including stories of system problems that she’d have fixed in half the time it took her replacement with kept her distracted from his absence in the afternoon. 

He had taken two days off from work before Rose had decided that he was too chicken to call for help. There had been no messages sent between them since the first day. Deciding to be the bigger person, Rose had gotten his address from Ben and took it upon herself to repay his kindness with her own.

Rose took the bus to his neighborhood finding that his address was close enough to a regular stop to save herself walking. His home was not what Rose expected. What she had expected was some minimalistic modern apartment, instead, she was greeted with a white picket fence, a family-like home. 

Rose rang his doorbell, half expecting somebody like a butler to answer, and after a long wait she tried to open the door herself. She knew it would be locked, and cursed at herself for even thinking that he’d ever leave his door unlocked. She tried ringing the doorbell once more, but this time followed by knocked loudly, in one last attempt at being let in without needing to search for a spare key.

By some luck the door then opened, Hux stood in his entryway, bundled in a black housecoat looking like death warmed up. He blinked down at her through his haze, a mix of emotions crossing his face.

“Rose?” His voice was hoarse as he spoke, worsened by the sneeze that followed as he winced at the pain in the back of his throat. He pulled his housecoat close to him as a breeze passed.

“Ok you, up to bed.” Rose demanded, pushing him back softly to cause him to stumble slightly. He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest moving no further, glaring as best he could at her.

“I’m not a child Rose, no need to treat me like one. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Rose rolled her eyes at his statement, folding her own arms and tapping her foot to hold his stare, knowing that he’d have to be the first to back down. She was here to help and she be damned if he wouldn’t let her.

“I’m simply here to return the favor, now if you stop acting like a child maybe I won’t have to treat you that way.” Hux waited a moment longer under her gaze before relenting if only to stop the sound of her foot tapping on his floor that he found irritating.

Rose followed him to his room, her eyes taking in the simple decoration. He didn’t have plants, if she was honest for a home is felt lifeless, like he’d bought it during an open house and left the furniture and decor in the same way. It was welcoming but only on the outside, as she climbed the stairs the decor became sparse, with only a few pictures on the wall. Hux’s feet began to drag as he reached the top step, he braced himself against the wall for a second to take a breath before walked down the hall to his room.

Rose watched him curiously as he waited by the door, before heading inside with a shake of his head. Following behind Rose watched as he got himself back into bed, sitting up and staring at her with a frown. 

“See I’m in bed, you can go.” Rose was about to protest when he reached beside him to grab a work tablet and begin to continue to work. The nerve he had to force her home from work to rest when even he couldn’t leave work in the office. Rose moved toward him and snatched the tablet from his hands and moving it to the bottom of the bed.

“You’re not fit to work. Where’s your kitchen? I’ll make you some tea, and soup.” Rose time of voice left no room for Hux to bother trying to stop her. He closed his eyes and leaned back into the headrest. The sooner she helped, the sooner she would leave and he could go back to working and feeling sorry for himself. Her raised voice made his head pound.

“Downstairs to your left.” He said cruelty, letting his attention wander to where Milicent had gotten, him being home wasn’t something she was used to.

Although his instructions were less than detailed Rose found his home was so bare and simple that his kitchen was obvious as soon as she really looked. Unlike the rest of what she’d seen of his home, this did have the minimalistic feel. Everything was in shades of white and grey like a picturesque modern design. He had a small island with only one chair, but all the appliances looked more expensive than all the tech collectively in Rose’s own home. Rose eyes the cabinets, wondering where he kept everything, walking slowly toward the kettle and hoping it was in the cupboard above. Letting out a sigh of relief she took out two cups, noting that they like this whole home were plain, almost as if Hux had few personal touches to even the small items. A thought popped into Rose’s head, considering buying Hux his own mug, just to add something personal to his space. 

Going about the notions of making tea and soup Rose found herself working comfortable in the space of his kitchen, taking care not to make a mess to give him any more reason to complain. Turning to add a few spices she almost dropped the pot, with a yelp of surprise as Milicent hopped up onto the kitchen top, staring at Rose.

“Millicent?” Rose asked, unsure of how this giant ball of ginger fur would react to her being in Hux’s kitchen. Rose help out her hand tentatively, watching as Milicent stretched and walked closer to sniff at the new human in her home. She bumped her head against Rose, making her smiles as she stroked over her fur.

“I’ll check with your dad on if you need feeding OK? Just let me finish this.” Rose found taking to her was just as easy as talking to Bell. She was relied to find Milicent was a behaved cat, jumping from the counter to leave the room, likely to annoy Hux herself for a meal as Rose finished with the soup, and the tea being properly steeped. 

Glanding around Rose found Hux even had a tray, and so she put both the bowl of soup and tea on it to carry, before clearing as much of her mess as she could, and putting the rest of the soup into a bowl in the microwave for Hux to reheat later. Happy that the kitchen was as clean as when she arrived, Rose carried the tray back to Hux’s room.

She toed the door open, half expecting him to have fallen asleep, instead he had a large smile on his face as Miliccent was rubbing her face against his lovingly, his hands in her fur delicate as he let himself chuckle. Rose found herself smiling at the scene before her, knowing she’d seen the coldest man in their floor, to have such a warm heart with his cat. Hux looked up to notice her there, clearing his throat and pushing MIlicent slightly from him.

“Manners.” Is all he said softly to her, which only made her meow softly at him before turning her attention to Rose too. Milicent moved closer to the side of the bed Rose approached, mewoting at her as she kneaded at the bedding.

“I brought soup, and tea. I wondered if she also needed feeding, but she clearly couldn’t wait for me to ask.” Hux waved his hand, pulling the sheets from him which only cause Millicent to jump to the floor and run past Rose.

“Please, leave this at the bottom of my bed, I’ll attend to Millicent. You may leave.” Rose frowned as he got out of bed, standing taller than her and looking down as she put the tray down to glare up at him.

“No, I’m making sure you bet better, you made me stay in bed, so now you can.” Hux rolled his eyes, deciding to pass her and head downstairs anyway. Rose watched him go with an open mouth before following him ready to tell him off. He moved around his kitchen, getting one of the most stupidly expensive tins of food for Milicent, and putting it into the most fancy bowl she’d ever seen. Blinking at the scene, Rose watched as the cat strode to her food bowl, a silver bowl she was sure even had Milicent engraved upon it. Hux turned to look at her with a levelled gaze.

“We’re fine Rose, you can leave.” Rose folded her hand over her chest as she watched him. He’d gotten his fists clenched with his head angles upwards, as if trying to suppress a sneeze. With a smirk Rose stepped forward to take a section of kitchen role and offer it to him.

“Give up, you’re going to sneeze and feel worse. Let me help you.” Hux was going to scoff at her, before taking the offering and sneezing into it, immediately feeling tears swell in his eyes from the full body shake that followed. He stumbled forward slightly, and Rose reached out instinctively to hold him upright.

“Bed. Now.” 

Hux decided not to argue with her tone, and shuffled back to his room slowly. Rose moved back his covers, staring at him to get in. Hux huffed at her, but got in anyway as she moved to tuck him into the blankets. He scowled at her as she paid his attitude no attention. She perched on the edge of the bed reaching for the bowl of soup and getting the spoon to list a spoonful to his mouth.

“You can’t be serious-” Hux’s protest was silenced as Rose took the opportunity to force feed him some. Hux glared from over the spoon as she pulled it from his lips, but he didn’t fight her as she brought another to him. With a sigh of defeat he opened his arms.

“Please, I’m not a child, don’t feed me like one.” He said again, hating being treated like an infant.

“You’re still acting like one.” Rose shot back, allowing him to take the bowl and spoon. HUx didn’t answer, instead trying to eat the soup slowly. He had no idea what magic she had in his kitchen but he’d never had a simple soup ever taste so good in his life. Rose smiled as he ate, knowing she’d won this fight. She took both cups of tea, offering him his as she took a sip from her own, careful to notice his watch her take it.

“I didn’t realise that I’d invited you to join me.” It wasn’t a question Rose could tell, more a dig at her taking it upon herself to make a cup.

“Well think of this as returning the favor for the tea I allowed you to make hm? Besides, I was raised never to make one cup unless I was alone.” Hux shook his head, trading his now empty bowl for the tea, his eyebrows raising at the taste. He wasn’t a tea drinker, he kept some stocked for guests and the times he has a meeting. He found it wasn’t his taste, preferring the bitterness of coffee yet somehow Rose had managed to make tea taste good.

Putting the cup on his nightstand Hux moved to get up from bed again, knowing he needed to clean up the now dirty bowl.

“Hux if you try to get out of this bed again I may just have to tie you down.” Rose all but growled at Hux, as he pulled himself up to sit again. He glared at her from the confinement of the bedsheets, feeling trapped in his predicament. Why couldn’t she just go Hux wondered.

“I need to clean the dishes.” Rose ran a palm down her face, he seriously only wanted to clean up a bowl even when sick.

“You are an infuriating man Hux.” Putting the bowl onto the tray, Rose finished her own tas and put the cup with it. Ready to take them both with her to clean before she left.

“It's a wonder you have any friends, incapable of even accepting the smallest of kindness when your sick. What is it about getting help you hate so much?” Hux froze at her words as she looked at him curiously. She hadn’t meant for the words to come across so harsh. Hux cleared his throat harshly.

“It's none of your business as to why I don’t accept charity.”

“You’re right, it isn’t. But i’m here, showing you the same kindness you showed me and all you want is for me to leave. I want to know why.” Rose wasn’t even sure why she bothered to ask, feeling in the pit of her stomach that clearly he’d had a lapse of judgement when he’d helped her. She sniffed fighting off the tears she was sure were filling her eyes.  _ Stupid _ . She didn’t know what it was about him she liked. Hux refused to meet her eyes, taking a breath.

They both sat letting the silence hand heavy in the air as Millicent made her way back in the room. She jumped to the bed, rubbing herself against Rose and Hux as much as she could, demanding attention. Hux looked over at Rose at that point, his eyes looking softer than they had before, and not from the redness around them. He heaved a sigh, his hands brushing along Milicents fur as if to calm himself before he spoke.

“I’m not good at feelings. They’re messy and complicated. I only have friends because they were persistent I was worth the time. Honestly, my childhood wasn’t as love filled as a normal family. It's something I've been working on, but I guess I still have much to learn.”

Rose smiled softly at Hux opening up. He held her gaze for a little while longer before looking away to yawn. Rose laughed softly, clearly he was losing the battle of wakefulness with himself. 

“It's OK. Just, please try to accept help that’s offered, before nobody helps at all.” Hux nodded, not sure what a suitable reply would be.

“I’m going to clean this up and bring you one last cup of tea. Do you promise to sleep when I go?” Again Hux nodded, sinking into the mattress, completely accepting this defeat. He wondered if this is how it would be if he ever had a partner, somebody who refused to give in to him. Rose left him to get comfortable, smiling as Milicent moved to rest on his chest, purring into his face happily.

Making the tea went easier now she knew where everything was. She let the kettle boiled as she cleaned his dishes, letting them rest on the drainer so that she could use them again for her check in tomorrow. Rose took the tea upstairs for him, but stopped as she passed what seemed to be a bathroom, heaving in to see if he’d even go any medicine. She glanced around to see it was decorated as cleanly as the kitchen, the bare necessities, a guest bathroom. She decided there was no bother in snooping and instead looked through the small cabinet. She found one box of cold capsules stashed at the back and was thankful that they were still in date. Taking them and the tea she went back to Hux’s room.

This time she found that Hux was actually asleep, he had one hand on Milicents back from where he was petting her, who was also comfortably sleeping from what Rose could tell. She walked quietly to leave both the medicine and tea on his nightstand. She looked around for any kind of paper and pen to leave him a note, cheering to herself at the post-it notes on his desk. 

> ** _I know I could’ve just texted you, but I’m sure you’d ignore me or be too sick to pick it up. There’s more soup in the microwave if your able to get some. I’ll be back tomorrow after work to check on you - don’t die._ **
> 
> ** _Love, Rose. xx_ **
> 
> ** _P.S i’lll get a spare key from Ben to do so._ **

Rose put the note between the box and cup, right in his line of sight. She looked back over at him, noticing that asleep his features looked much softer than when he was awake. She almost let herself take in everything about him, feeling a brush come to her cheeks as she realised how creepy this may seem. She moved around the bed to take both his phone and work tablet, looking around to find where he kept them to charge, sure that if he found them dead when he needed them, he'd be irritated. She took one last look at him, before petting Millicent goodbye, letting her fingers brush his as she whispered to them both.

Rose made sure to make as little sound as she could on her way out, closing the door softly she was glad that the cold air helped with the blush on her face. Taking a death breath she headed toward the bus stop. She glanced back at his house on her way, wondering if this was worth it, if he didn’t feel the same. The stakes of this game just got higher, with a heart on the line. Rose shook her head, knowing she should just let the thought pass. A man like Hux would never see her as anything more than a useful employee. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No kiss this time, because they next time they kiss will be a damn achievement for this two idiots.


	3. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our idiots are no longer ill, but they are still both incredibly dumb. Rose decides to be kind and Hux decides he needs to ruin that with a not-lunch date (You decide)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY VALENTINES
> 
> Have this chapter that I wrote 1k more than expected - I guess these dumbasses just bring out the best in me.
> 
> Huge thanks to Brit for fixing all my grammar, my knight in shining armor. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy some more fools with feelings :)

After Hux returned to the office from his few days off, the atmosphere had shifted. He strode back in, barking orders as though he’d barely missed a day. He’d called Mitaka to his office for a full rundown on what he’d missed, knowing that all the information he’d been sent while sick was far from a complete documentation. It took him no less than half an hour to have everybody on edge and working hard to meet his strict deadline. All of the employees let out a breath when he went back to his office to work; everything was back to how it was again.

Rose felt awkward with the situation. She’d spent a good few days checking on him (and Millicent), seeing him being vulnerable, and it was a change to him being his usual insufferable self. She found her attention drifting from work to his office. He sat stiffly staring at the screen, only looking up to snap at Mitaka. He didn’t even leave for his usual coffee break. That worried Rose the most, not that he hadn’t left, that she’d wanted to make some and take it to him. That she wanted to be in his presence again. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and focus on work. She ended up having to retype the entire strand of code, having made mistakes that she was glad she caught before causing a system wide crash.

Hux felt a work headache starting after he’d sent out his orders, making sure the office knew that his brief period of sickness had only made him more insistent that work was to be completed faster. He knew they’d slacked off, despite Rose insisting they were working during her visits. He glanced up from his work to find her frowning at a screen across the office, frustration clear on her face. He swallowed, letting out a breath and closed his eyes willing himself to forget the softness of her voice when he was delirious with fever.

The pair felt themselves constantly being pulled out of their focus to each other. Constant fleeting glances and self-cursing filled the first few hours of work, until one of them had to break the cycle. Rose stood after finally finishing a problem, feeling relief was over herself to finally be able to take a break, deciding to eat out and be at a distance from the source of her frustration. 

“I’m gonna grab lunch out, anybody want anything?”

Voices broke out across the office at the same time, making Rose raise her hands to silence them. A chorus?of laughter followed as everybody found it amusing at their eagerness to have lunch delivered?

“Ok, I’m only going to the food court so anything else is out of the question. I’ll postup the options by the coffee machine.”

She left a single page, listing the places she’d be willing to grab from, as well as the selection of menus the office had on hand so they knew how much cash she needed, or to drop her money via PayPal. Rose had only done this a few times, as normally Mitaka would offer during the time Hux was out of the office. Everybody had had a turn taking orders, and it was normally a spur of the moment decision for the person offering.

Rose turned her attention back to Hux as she left the list, waiting for people to write what they wanted as quick as they could before he came out and screamed about them wasting time. Her heart stuttered as he stood sharply, opening his door. Everybody stopped, glancing between Hux and Rose, wondering what was happening.

“Tico, what are you doing?”

“I’m going on my break so I’m offering to pick up lunch for everybody. It frees up time to work.” Rose hoped he’d buy it to stop him chewing her out in front of everybody. Instead he walked forward, glancing down at the list.

“Get me this. I’ll pay you when you return.” Everybody watched him go back to his office, settling behind his desk to work. He had to force himself not to smirk at himself, knowing they watched him. He glared at everybody to make them refocus their attention.

Rose blinked after Hux had left, writing down his order herself on the paper and slipping out to the bathroom to let herself breathe. She looked at her reflection, letting out a sigh at the blush that had risen in her cheeks. She hoped people would be quick to leave what they needed. 

“Are you Ok?”

Rose looked up from the sink to see Rey leaning against the wall with a small smile. Rose snorted.

“If ok means feeling trapped between work and maybe liking a co-worker then I guess.”

Rey moved to hug Rose, rubbing her hand along her back.

“If it helps, you saw the same thing happen with me and Ben. I’m sure everybody felt our arguments when we first started working together. At least you’ve not had Hux actively try to get you fired.” 

Rose laughed heartily, remembering the train wreck that was Rey and Ben going at each other throats and quickly changing to shoving their tongues down them. 

“Hm I guess. But you guys were also both attracted to each other. I’m sure Hux only sees me as a subordinate.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Rose looked up as Rey frowned, crossing her arms.

“Rose, he let you have a  _ key _ to his house. Millicent hates Ben, she always grumbles when he goes over when Hux is away, so Ben had me start going. She wasn’t even keen on me.  _ You _ got her on your side the first day. He’s very interested in you, and it kills him because he doesn’t even understand it’s a crush.”

Rose stood with her mouth open, not even sure what she was going to say. She shook her head.

“No. There’s no way, Rey.”

“Last time Hux had a cold he checked into a private hospital room so he could boss around the staff. He willingly let you into his home after the first day. Believe me Rose, he likes you. You can stop frowning at me, everybody thinks so.”

“Everybody?” Rose said quietly, looking down at her feet.

Rey sighed, patting Rose’s shoulder.

“Rose, we’ve got a betting pool, so I'm not telling you the details. Just know we support you, in the hopes the stick up Hux’s ass will be removed. Noone is judging you either, believe me. In fact, everyone just wants you to be happy.”

Rose sniffled, feeling tears well in her eyes. She badly understood her feelings, and something deep inside her was shameful that her business with Hux? seemed to be at the center of everyone’s attention. She hugged Rey back, quickly wiping away the tears and taking a breath.

“Thanks, Rey. You’re the best.”

Rey grinned, waving her hand in a  _ what are friends for _ motion before offering Rose a tissue from nowhere.

“Trust yourself Rose. If this goes sideways, at least you don’t have to only work this floor right.”

Rose burst out laughing, letting new tears leak from her eyes. When Rey and Ben almost got each other fired, they couldn’t even transfer to another department. Rose was glad her skills meant she could go anywhere and still be able to do her job. The pair walked out together, still chucking amongst themselves.

Rey made her way back to her station, she and Ben briefly holding hands, and Rose smiled softly at the gesture, wondering if she could have that. With her head held high she took the paper, glancing out to see if anyone other than the few who had already written wanted anything.

“Nobody else?” She asked, noticing some people shake their head or hold up the lunch they’d already brought or bought. With a smile, she headed to grab her coat, glad that it was only her friends that had ordered their usual, making it easier to only need to take one trip.

The walk was relaxing to Rose, allowing her the time and space to think. Should she persuade Hux, let him try and pressure her? She honestly didn’t know if the pursuit at a romantic relationship was worth the risk. She almost fell into autopilot going about the orders until she got to Hux’s. She had to be sure to get the right thing. 

After checking over the order, she took the bags and headed back, glad to have a clear head and return to her work. She’d packed everything efficiently so she could drop each meal off in a clean circuit, leaving Hux for last. Rey winked as she took hers, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she picked up a fork.

Taking a deep breath, Rose crossed the office to head into Hux’s space, the intimidating glass box. He’d been watching her since she got back, tapping a rhythm on his desk from impatience. 

“You took your time, Tico.” 

Rose ignored his comment, deciding to stand her ground would be better than rising to his snide comment. She opened the last bag to take out his boring salad, fighting the urge to recoil from thinking of it as a meal.

Giving Hux the last box in the bag, she stared back down into it and cursed at herself. She hadn’t even ordered her own food. Hux looked up at her, raising a brow as she tightened her hands on the empty carrier. Hux opened his own container, letting out a deep huff, drawing her attention to him. He looked at her, unamused, but could feel the change in her demeanor. She moved to turn away from him as her heart began to beat furiously, but his hand caught her wrist, turning her back to face him. Rose looked at him with wide eyes, wondering if he could feel her rapid pulse. He glanced around, standing to pull the shutters of his office.

“Spit it out, Tico.”

She jumped at the bite in Hux’s voice. Swallowing, she relaxed her grip on the bag, noticing his eyes watch her movements. His hand still held her wrist, and she pulled herself free of his grip.

“I forgot to get my own. I’ll just eat later.”

“Get your things. We’ll go.”

“What?”

Rose watched him stand, taking his overcoat and gloves from the hanger.

“For a start, my order is incorrect. I’d have sent you back out, but if you can forget your own meal then perhaps I should ensure you get it right this time.”

Rose felt herself blush as she turned to leave his office, knowing that as soon as he’d cut them off from view of everybody else, they’d whisper. Hux’s hand touched her shoulder and she could feel the cool leather through her shirt.

“Follow my lead.”

Rose frowned, as he pulled the door open quickly, pushing her forward to stumble out the door.

“Honestly, Tico, if you can’t even get a simple order right, I’ll have to do it myself. Don’t make this mistake again.”

Rose wasn’t sure what Hux was planning, until she realised he was diverting the attention. Of course, how could she have been so stupid. After Rey had informed her of the betting pool, she was sure as soon as Hux closed the blinds that they’d all assumed they were doing something intimate. Rose glared back at him.

“Maybe if you’d been specific instead of just pointing at a picture, this wouldn’t have happened. This is your fault not mine.”

Hux fought the smile that she caught on quick. Directing things into a spat would save her from being grilled later by coworkers for non existent details.

They continued to glare as they walked out of the office, as Rose folded her arms and stormed ahead of him. As soon as they were down a flight of stairs she let out a sigh, looking back as he pulled his gloves to reposition them.

His eyes gave her a once over before he shook his head at her, taking off his overcoat to once again wrap her in it from the fact she didn’t grab her own. Rose looked up at him, curious as he shook it out before draping it over her shoulders.

“Can’t have you catching a cold again, Rose.” 

Rose’s blush grew deeper as she stared at him, finding him calling her Rose a private thing. She put her arms inside the sleeves, feeling herself growing warmer, and not necessarily just from the coat. Now she wasn’t full of sickness she could feel just how soft it was, her fingers brushing the lining within. Hux looked away as she let herself get comfortable in his coat, walking ahead of her, which made her have to jog slightly to catch up and match his pace. They walked silently, and Rose frowned as they passed the food court.

“Hux?”

He looked back at her, as she kept falling behind his pace. He slowed to a stop, clasping his hands behind his back, causing the leather of his gloves to creak.

“I left the office for lunch, so I’m not going to go back and eat. We’ll just eat out. Come along.”

Rose pulled the coat tighter, unsure of if he was offering to have lunch with her or if he was going to eat and just make her sit with him. She swallowed, and just as she was about to skip forward found Hux was slowing his walk for her to easily keep up. He had stopped outside of a restaurant she’d never heard of, moving his hand to the small of her back to push her in front of himself.

“Two, please,”He announced to the server who hurried to seat them. He guided them toward a booth at the back, handing Hux both menus.

“Would you like your usual drink sir?” Hux nodded?, motioning for Rose to follow as he nodded at the waiter.

“And water for the lady, please.” Rose looked down, not used to being called a lady. The server left, to fetch their drinks as Hux passed Rose a menu. 

“Choose whatever you like. Then we can discuss this,” Hux paused to find the right words, looking at Rose with a blank face. “Change in relationship.”

Rose nodded, then looked at the menu, her brows rising as she saw the prices. She shifted in her seat, looking up as Hux closed his menu and stared at her expectantly. 

“Don’t worry about the cost. I wouldn’t expect you to pay with your salary.”

Rose felt both glad and offended, shooting him a glare before looking down at the options. There were so many delicious options, and the rumble in her stomach urged her to make a decision.

“The pasta please.”

She said, and Hux lifted his still gloved hand to call for the server again, giving them his order as the glasses of water were placed on the table. Rose took an eager sip, her throat feeling suddenly dry.

“I understand that the kindness you showed to me was paid. I also understand that the entire office believes there to be something more here where there isn’t.”

Rose sank back into the seat. Hux let himself settle back too, removing his gloves and placing them beside himself as he clasped his hands together again, moving them under his chin. She still felt too cold to take his coat off, finding its large size to be almost like a shield. 

“But I do believe that Millicent was quite taken with you, which is a rare occurrence. So I have a proposition for you.” 

Rose took another sip of her drink before replying, putting the glass back on the table with only half of it left.

“It’s a little awkward at the office since everybody saw you being nice. I’m uh, I’m sure it’ll all go back to normal soon. As for your offer, I don’t think I could accept it if it’s going to affect our work.”

Hux smiled over his hands at her. Rose shifted nervously again; he’d already admitted he didn’t like her. Or at least didn’t believe that there was anything in his kindness. Maybe Rey was wrong, and he was just toying with her as some twisted game of power. 

“I’m afraid it’s an extra job offer, so it may well affect some of your work.”

Rose tilted her head, confused, as he moved to fold his arms, tapping his finger against one.

“I’ve a business trip coming soon, and while I normally only trust Ben and Rey, I find that Millicent doesn’t. So, I’d like for you to check up on her while I’m out of town.”

“You want me to cat sit?”

“Yes. She means a great deal to me, but it is unfair to leave her alone when I’m gone. I've never gone for more than a few days, so all I’d require of you is to make sure she’s fed and ensure she’s not hurt. I would pay for this as it would cause you to travel out of your way.”

Rose blinked over at Hux, processing his offer. He trusted her? She straightened herself, putting on a brave face as he waited for an answer.

“Fine, but you’ll have to leave me with plenty of notice. I can’t change my plans just for you. I’ll make sure she’s fed, watered, and clean.”

Hux softened as she agreed, feeling relieved that she had. He knew in work she’d avoid him and that it would be best for them both if he left her to do so. But he could keep her close if she was attending Millicent in his own home. He would make sure that she could care for his cat if he was ever to consider their relationship growing from friendship.

They fell into a comfortable silence by the time food arrived. The server worked efficiently to give them food, as Hux informed them there was no need for desert. He also requested another glass of water as Rose had almost finished hers as the food was placed on the table.

“I’ll be sure to inform you of my trips as soon as I can. I will also leave all instructions in my home for you. How much do you wish to be paid?”

“How much do you usually pay?”

“Ben and Rey used to check up on her and I paid them $200. I will pay you more if you do more.”

Rose didn’t even think he would say that much, wondering how much he’d actually give her when the job was done. Although it was hardly work when it was just the same as caring for Bell. Rose found her heartbeat quicken, awed by the fact he trusted her enough to be alone in his home and to care for Milicent whom he clearly loves unconditionally. 

“I’m happy to help. Milicent is a good cat.” 

Hux smiled softly and Rose felt her heat stutter again. She decided to remove his coat before eating so she could move freely. Folding it as best as she could manage, she put it beside herself, trying to avoid his gaze on her. 

Rose glanced up as she reached for her fork, noticing that Hux was actually waiting for her to start first. She gratefully dug into the food, feeling like if she waited any longer she’d waste away. As soon as she took her first bite she had to force herself not to hum in delight. She’d never had a meal like this in her life. Unsure if it was because she didn’t go out to expensive places to eat, or if she just hadn’t much good to compare, she thought this may be the best pasta in existence. 

“Good?” 

Hux asked, drawing her to look up and quickly swallow as she nodded. She refused to speak with a mouthful of food and embarrass herself further. 

“I think this may be the best pasta I've had.”

Hux snorted at her, taking a bit of his own food as she frowned. He set his fork to the side of his plate, before using a napkin to dap at the corner of his lips.

“If you believe this place to have the best pasta, then I have recommendations of places much better. This just happens to be the closest place to work worth eating from. They do offer takeout, so I may place an order here next time you do a collection service in the office”

Rose scowled at him, raising her chin in an attempt to look down at him.

“I don’t work at the company to wait on you hand and foot. I won’t be your delivery girl.”

Hux blinked, taken aback by her. He was quick to shake his head, cursing himself for insinuating such a thing.

“I did not mean to insult you Rose, I apologise. What I actually meant was that I-,” He broke off to cough, glancing down at his plate before looking up to meet Rose’s eye. “I wouldn’t mind sharing a meal with you again. Though it couldn’t possibly be a regular thing, I feel that in caring for Millicent, I would rather like to use lunch as a thank you. You can refuse, of course. I wouldn’t want the whole office being cruel for humoring me.”

Rose blushed at him, taking another sip from her water to hide behind after being wrong about his intentions. She found her heart jump at his offer and fought the urge to accept an invitation to lunch and look eager. Putting her glass back down, she wondered why he’d offered this as a thanks, as though she wouldn’t already be accepting payment for this.

“Why as thanks?”

“Oh, well. I doubt I would have the time to check personal messages while away. I guess the limited time we’d have for lunch would be sufficient to ask how she was doing while I was away.”

Hux smiled softly, a smile Rose had begun to notice was specific to when he thought of Millicent. It wasn’t toothy or wide; the corners of his mouth turned upward and paired with a softness in his eyes. Rose held his look, smiling herself, feeling like she could get lost in this version of Hux.

“Then I accept. We should wait a few days after you’re back from a trip to do so, to stop the whispers.”

Hux hummed in agreement, finding that she was right. They could certainly arrange to have lunch at various points to avoid arousing too much suspicion. He found even this short time together to be a refreshing turn of events than eating alone in his office. Hux nodded at Rose, picking up his fork again to finish his own meal. He found himself watching Rose eat the last of her pasta, having to stop himself focusing on her mouth as she closed her eyes and savoured bites. When she was almost done, he called over the server.

“Rose, my wallet if you wouldn’t mind? Inside pocket.”

Rose looked up as he gestured toward his folded coat. Her hands ran down the front length to feel where it would be, trying not to think about the softness beneath her fingers. She put it on the table, sliding the thin leather across the surface to avoid making contact with his hands. Hux smiled at her before opening his wallet and passing his card to pay for the bill. Hux held up his hand before Rose could protest.

“I already said lunch is on me, do not worry about the bill.”

Rose huffed, and picked up her fork to finish the last of her meal, conceding to him. When the server returned he gave Hux’s card back to him, nodding at them both as he collected the plates and glasses to take away. Hux rose to his feet, offering a hand to Rose. Rose looked up at him as she accepted his help, using his leverage to pull herself up. Turning, Rose took Hux’s coat unto her arms. Hux pulled his gloves on again, the creak of leather sending a chill up Rose’s spine. Rose offered to give Hux his coat back and he shook his head.

“It's still cold, you can wear it until we get back to work.”

Rose worked to put the coat on herself, realising it was much easier when he’d practically dressed her. Hux rolled his eyes as she pulled the sleeves along her arm, before he held out his wallet to put back into the pocket. Rose was careful to keep her fingers from touching his. When Hux was satisfied he began to walk out, making Rose have to work to catch up to him again.

They didn’t speak on the way back, which suited Rose just fine as she began to think over the entire meal. She felt her thoughts passing as quickly as they came but she knew that after receiving his kindness once again, she knew her heart wanted this pursuit. Lost in her thoughts of how she would try to get to know him better, she didn’t realise that he’d drawn to a stop. She paid no attention as she walked right into his back, a soft sound escaping her lips as she found herself stumbling backwards.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” 

Embarrassment coloured her cheeks, and as she turned around, Hux looked down at her, reaching out to hold her shoulder so she could steady herself. His hand moved to pull at the collar, making Rose step forward.

“I’m afraid I’ll need this back now, before you walk in wearing my coat.”

Rose managed to keep a straight face as she pulled the sleeves down, allowing Hux to take hold of his own coat and put it on much easier than she had.

“It may be best if we don’t walk in together. I’ll go first. I feel you may need a moment to find a lie to tell your friends.” 

Hux didn’t give her a chance to answer, before turning on his heel and marching away at his fast pace again. Hux found himself letting out a breath as he went, before inhaling the faint scene of Rose’s perfume that had begun to cling to his coat. He clenched his fists, feeling too conflicted about if this would lead them down a road he was sure would cause trouble. He didn’t want to make Rose feel like he was abusing his status. He shook the thoughts from his head, deciding to walk up the stairs to their floor. He was sure he looked angry, as eyes looked up and away as he stormed through to his office. He was glad he’d closed the blinds, letting the door close behind him he was free to breath. 

He found himself looking at his screen, unable to even read a word as his mind related thoughts of Rose in his coat. She looked so small and cute, and he had no idea where the thoughts had come from. He groaned, dropping his head into his hands, and realising he hadn’t even bothered to remove his coat or gloves. He looked at his reflection in the screen, thinking to himself that Rose would be the death of him.

Rose watched him go, dumbfounded, as he’d been quick to get away. She walked slowly back into the building. She waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor, still unsure of his quick change from being nice and then distant again. She was confused. Rose tried to think of what she’d tell people who asked what happened, but ultimately she wasn’t even sure herself. When she walked back, Rey was the first person to get up. She grabbed Rose by the hand, pulled her into the small breakroom and closed the door.

“Spill. He looked ready to kill when he came back in.”

Rose shrugged, pulling her hand free from Rey’s. Rey held Rose’s gaze, bobbing her head for some kind of sign.

“Well, you and Ben don’t need to catsit anymore, because I got that job.”

“Holy shit, you’re joking?”

Rose shook her head.

“Rose, my god he’s so into you. Get in there girl; I bet the sex will be great. Did he take you  _ out _ for lunch?”

Rose looked at Rey, wide eyed, her own thoughts hadn’t even jumped there, yet that was the first thing Rey had thought of. Rey laughed as Rose had no words, sniggering as for the nth time today Rose blushed.

“You can’t say you’ve not thought about sex? He’s built like a tree, if he’s anything like Ben then-”

“Rey, please stop, I'm begging you. I don’t need those details.”

Rey grinned but let it go. She patted Rose on the shoulder. Rose was glad to have at least made her forget about the fact he  _ had _ taken her to lunch.

“Soon, baby girl, but for now, we better get back to work before he starts screaming at everybody.”

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, following Rey back to work. She took a breath to clear her mind, deciding she had to do as much work as she could to forget about Hux, and to try and stop thinking about sex, all thanks to Rey. She sat down to do her work, looking up to find Rey was waiting for her, gesturing to the ruler in her hand. Rose looked away, refusing to look or else she wouldn’t be able to stop the thoughts. 

Rose knew one thing, she needed to get a straight answer from Hux before she went crazy. She was going to lay her cards on the table and rip off the band aid. She only hoped to do it before Rey gave her anymore terrible, unwanted, absolutely blushworthy thoughts. Rose left one last glance to his office, finding that she much prefered being able to see him than when he’d closed himself off from everybody. With one last deep breath, she willed herself to keep on working, determined to use her frustration to push herself. She was going to change this game, and she was going to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it a date? How many times can Rey make sex jokes before Rose breaks? Will Hux ever wash his coat again? More questions I will leave unanswered by the time the next chapter comes around.


	4. Round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux and Rose talk some more, mayhaps they finally date/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello guys, it has been a very long time since my last update. Within that time I have finished my uni course and now have a Degree in Psychology with counselling. To all of you still tracking this fic I promise i will finish it, even if it takes me years - and you're totally allowed to yell and scream at me on my socials to do so haha.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, and once again bless Brit for working that beta magic for me to get this out to you today.

Millicent sat on Rose’s lap, keeping her in place to receive all the attention she wanted. Rose could only let it happen, her fingers stroking the fur on the back of her head. It had been months since Hux had practically hired Rose to do this, and in that time he’d had to take five business trips. Rose barely understood Hux’s job, choosing to focus on her own work as much as she could. 

In the time that she’d been cat-sitting, Rose found herself becoming closer to Millicent, and in turn, becoming closer to Hux. Their lunches were a breath of fresh air when work was stressful. They’d both become much more open about themselves, learning about each other's family. Rose had discovered that Hux’s parents had both passed, and that he’d hated his father during the time he was alive. Hux had learned about Rose’s parents, as well as about Paige, and had actually been interested to learn about them.

Rose smiled down at Millicent, as she hopped from her lap having received all the affection she cared to have. Rose got herself up and headed into the kitchen, deciding to make herself some tea to come back to after doing a spot of cleaning and watering Hux’s plants. She smiled at herself, thinking about the first time Hux had come back from a business trip and she’d put some plants around to bring some colour and life into his home. After a few visits Rose had grown very aware that his home seemed far too clean and white. Despite having a cat, his home was unnaturally plain that even all of Millicent’s toys and cat tree’s blended into the scenery. Hux’s home had a feel like everything was open, but that openness was cold like a plain of snow. She’d brought some simple succulents to add small pops of colour around his home and make it feel more lived in and life-like. She’d even started to bring her own tea, and after forgetting to take it back once Hux had requested that she keep a stock in his house, he’d decided that it was now his favourite. Rose smiled to herself thinking about how often he would be able to say something so casually that made her heart beat jump.

Rose watched as Millicent weaved around her legs in the hopes of getting a treat. Rose was about to cave and reach for the bag because Millicent stilled, her head swivelling toward the door. She let out a soft meow, making Rose frown at the odd behaviour before she left through the door in a hurry. Rose laughed at her, tuning to finish making her tea, rolling her eyes at herself. She made a mental list of what she needed to get ready before Hux’s return from his business trip. She needed to make sure that everything was still clean, water the plants, ensure that Millicents food was topped off and that the litter trays were done last.

The sound of an opening door made Rose jump. She turned towards the sound, wondering if Millie knew that somebody was coming. Rose took a deep breath, wondering if Hux had a delivery due and had forgotten to mention it from his busy trip. Swallowing she made her way from the kitchen to the door, putting her tea down on the counter as she went, trying to stop the shake of her fingers. She glanced to where she’d left her phone to see if Rey or Ben had texted to say they we’re coming over to grab something. It had happened a few times since they used to cat-sit but they never came by unannounced. 

Rose held her breath as the door opened, snatching, at the last minute, the closest utensil from the counter for defence: a ladle. She knew this was a wealthy area to live, and hoped that people would see the bare home and her standing there would make them leave quicker than they came. She wasn’t going to let somebody come in and steal anything; she would fight back.

“Rose?”

Hux’s voice was confused as he glanced over at her, her face full of determination gripping onto the ladle for dear life. She relaxed her grip, letting out a deep breath as she worked to calm her heartbeat. Hux strode toward her quickly, the shopping in his arms put down onto the floor as he lowered himself to look in her eyes. As she took deep breaths, a small laugh passed through her lips. He reached to take the ladle from her hands, his gaze soft as she shook her head, taking a last calming breath.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I thought somebody was going to break in, I guess I got ready to hit them with a ladle.”

“Breaking in? I highly doubt that - are you OK?”

Rose nodded, and snorted at herself; a ladle would hardly have done any damage. She backed up into the kitchen, looking into Hux’s face made her feel silly. 

“Rose, what got you so worked up?”

“Oh, nothing serious, stupid really. I just need to let the adrenaline settle.”

“Please, you can tell me. You’re upset for a reason.” 

Rose rolled her eyes, deciding to pick up the shopping from the floor and cart it into the kitchen. Hux followed, a frown on his face as he watched her start to pack everything up. He put the ladle back where it belonged before heading back for the other bag.

“Hux you really don’t need to worry. I’ve dealt with break-ins before, really I was a second away from hitting you with that ladle. How come you're back so early?”

Hux folded his arms to look for any trace of a lie as Rose stared back at him, raising a brow. He shook his head and let out a sigh, turning back to pack away everything else he’d bought.

“Managed to settle the matter quicker so I took the earliest plane back. I didn’t expect you here. I was going to call to say you didn’t need to come tomorrow because I was already back.”

Rose hummed, reaching for her tea to take a sip as Millicent began to meow loudly at Hux, demanding his attention. Rose snickered as he bent down to lift her in a fluid motion, kissing her head gently as his fingers ran through her fur. Millicents purr was soft as she wiggled in his hold. Rose felt butterflies watching him be so soft and gentle with her, a stark contrast to how he was with almost everybody else.

“Rose?”

Rose blinked as he called her name, his head tilted as though he was trying to read her thoughts.

“Yes?” 

“Would you like to grab dinner tonight?”

“I guess I can. Does this mean we’re skipping the thank you lunch when you’re back in the week?”

Rose turned back to look at him, Millicent was no longer in his arms as he stared at her. Hux cleared his throat taking a step closer.

“No, no that can still happen as usual. What I would like to ask is if you would like to have dinner with me, as a date.” 

Rose’s mouth hung open at how forward he was. He stood awkwardly in his own kitchen, shifting his weight on his feet as though he was a child. Rose was taken back by how forward he’d been. Swallowing, she looked up at him as he waited for an answer, and she realised that he was nervous to be rejected. Her stomach flipped as she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks

“I um, yes. I’d like that.” 

Hux smiled to himself, turning back to put away the last of the shopping as Rose turned away, trying to cool the fire of her cheeks. 

“I’ll finish what I need to get done and head out, so I can get changed into something.”

She looked up as Hux’s eyes travelled up her body. He nodded, stepping sideways so that she could pass him easier.

“Wear something you find comfortable. I don’t expect you to enjoy anybody that would expect you to wear a dress and pearls. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“You’d be right, I do enjoy a nice meal but I couldn’t afford the dress to appear to the high class snobs at those places. Seven is good for me.”

Rose passed him with a quick nod, determined to finish her list so she could go home and panic for a long while on what to wear. She grabbed her phone glancing at the time, and decided she would be able to get herself ready in five hours.

  
  


Rose paced in her living room as the time got closer to seven. She had raided her closet to look for something that was worth wearing on a date, especially when she was going out with a man that had enough money to reserve an entire restaurant for just them. She’d chosen to wear one of the very few dresses she owned. The dress came just below her knees, and was off the shoulder. She’d been gifted it by Paige years before but had never worn it, never finding the occasion to wear something so nice. She’d opted for light make up, and a half-up hairstyle, to keep most of it out of her face. She’d also managed to find a nice pair of simple heels that she was sure actually belonged to Rey. 

The sound of a car door closing drew her from her thoughts as she brushed her hands down the dress one last time, taking a breath as she waited for the knock at the door. She took a breath as he knocked, she picked up her phone and keys, doing a very last check in the mirror before she opened the door. Rose blinked, her eyes looking up and down at Hux not wearing a suit. He stood wearing a pair of dark jeans and a dark shirt. Rose swallowed, feeling a blush rising to her cheeks all over again as he looked cute even in casual.

“Wow.”

Looking up Rose then noticed that Hux was staring at her in awe. She felt overly dressed and stood in the doorway. She was about to offer to change when he smiled brightly and reached for her hand to lead her to his car. He opened the door for her, still holding her hand as she got in. She felt her hands shake as she closed the door and walked around to get in, feeling nervous now that it was really happening.

“You look gorgeous, Rose.” 

He said as he buckled himself up, he smiled at her again and she managed to smile back. He held out his hand, and she took it, finding that there was something comforting about it. He grinned, as he drove from her house, giving her hand a light squeeze. Rose glanced out the window fighting the smile she could feel pull at her lips. It had been months of dancing around each other and now they we’re really going on a date. Rose decided to turn on the radio as Hux drove, having no idea where he’d actually planned to take her. The quiet of the drive felt comfortable with the soft music playing. For the whole ride Hux only let go of her hand a few times and she smiled every time he reached for her. 

Rose wasn’t sure how long the drive had lasted by the time Hux had pulled up to the restaurant carpark. He continued being a gentleman, getting out fist to open her car door, and offering his hand once again, with a smile on his face. Rose took a deep breath, feeling more confident now that she’d calmed from her earlier nerves. Rose glanced up at him as they walked toward the doors, 

“So, will you need a ladies menu or can I trust you will order what you want?”

“A what?”

Rose frowned as he rolled his eyes. Hux opened the door, holding it open for her to enter from the cool chill of the air.

“Some places have a ‘ladies menu’ which excludes the prices so that

Rose hummed to herself thinking deeply. She knew he could afford a meal and yet, felt as though she shouldn’t order anything too expensive to avoid seeming like she only had interest in it. Hux watched as she argued in her head, oblivious to the waiter coming to check his reservation.

“The ladies menu.”

Rose said with a sigh, knowing that she should just allow him to treat her to the date, then know he would be unhappy later when ordering one of the cheapest options she liked the sound of. Hux nodded at her, before they were both seated and offered their menus.

“Rose, I know you well enough now to be sure you aren’t using me for my money. Especially when I feel I’m always using you to keep me company. Surely that should concern you more.”

“I enjoy your company, too.”

Rose smiled over at him as a smirk crossed Hux’s lips. Rose looked back down at the menu, it felt unnatural to see no numbers anywhere to grasp how much things cost. She felt an odd sense of relief that she didn't need to budget. There were so many things she’d never heard of before that she had to re-read through her options a few times. She glanced up to see Hux had set his menu down, his hands clasped on the table waiting for her to choose. Rose read over the menu one last time before looking up to meet Hux’s gaze again. 

“Have you decided?”

“The Braised chicken please. ”

Hux nodded, signalling for the waiter to return to take the order. Rose drummed her fingers on her legs, feeling strange that this wasn’t one of their work dinners. She hadn’t been on a real date in so long she’d almost forgotten what to do. Hux only smiled at her, before resting his arm on the table with his palm out. Rose felt herself blush again as she rested her hand in his, wondering where he’d even hidden this sweet side. With her free hand Rose reached for her glass of water to take a sip. 

“Used to taking ladies out on dates?”

Hux’s brows rose up as he cleared his throat. His eyes shifted nervously from Rose’s face to the table.

“Not at all. I could say that you make me comfortable. I guess all our work lunches helped with the practise on what I should do … or shouldn’t.’ 

Rose tilted her head and squeezed his hand. She felt that he had more to say than that. With a fancy place like this Rose was sure the food would still take a while, giving them more chances to talk than any of their dinner dates. They also didn’t need to worry about running past their given break time. Hux moved his hand back from her hold to link his fingers together.

“So you … haven’t dated much?” 

Rose asked as she reached to take another sip of her water, glancing over the edge of the glass for Hux's response. He seemed to her to be thinking of how best to answer the question. When he looked up from the table at her his smile was small.

“No, back when my father was alive he’d forced me into matched dates for his benefit but neither myself or those ladies felt any connection to try. Most didn’t find me attractive enough to want to stay with me, regardless of my wealth - my father's wealth.”

Rose stared at him wide eyed wondering how any woman could look at Hux and not see an attractive man. She was also curious about how those dates went, finding the upper class customs to be something from a drama. 

“So you have dated? Or was being made going onto them more like a work dinner?”

Rose was curious to know exactly what it was like with those women compared to the dinner they were having right now. Hux let out a laugh through his nose as he shook his head.

“They didn’t feel like a date. We’d both go into it almost like a business meeting, talking about what we expected, or what our parents I expected I suppose. It wasn’t a natural flow of conversation; usually we’d have two or three and they’d report back to their parents that I wasn’t worth it, or my father would discover they had little to offer him to gain power. Truly my father’s only goal was power; I’m sure I would have been a bigger disappointment had I been a daughter...”

Rose swallowed hearing the coldness in Hux’s voice as he spoke of his late father, releasing even more about how the man truly wasn’t a father. Rose reached her hand across the table again to touch the back of Hux’s with a smile to offer some kind of comfort. Hux’s smile this time was more genuine.

“I guess because that was the closest to dating in my life that when I’d gotten the chance to really date, their rejections, even if based on superficial details of how I look and the family business had put me off an attempt at dating. I’d accepted that I would likely be living alone with Millicent until you.”

Rose felt herself blush again, smiling to herself.

“I still don’t understand how any of those women could look at you and not find you handsome. When I first started working there you were yelling at Ben about something and when you came out of your office and straightened your tie to act like you’d not lost your cool, I found it attractive. I think I've always found you attractive, so when Rey found out at first she was worried because she’d known how little interest you’d had in women. I’m sure there was a betting pool about if you were gay at one point, but Ben came to your defence telling those betting to stop being idiots.”

“Ah, my father had once thought that true. He took my disinterest in a fake relationship with his set-ups as a justification. If i’m honest I don’t care. I don’t care for labels, think I may be more flexible than I appear. I think I want a connection more than needless sex.”

Rose hummed and nodded. She felt her heart flutter as Hux began to open up to her more and more.

“I guess that makes sense, though it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

Hux gaped at her as she spoke so boldly. Rose even surprised herself at how easily she’d confessed to having feelings for him at all. She knew she wasn’t  _ in-love _ with him, but she was growing more affectionate towards him in a way she’d not felt before. Rose decided to change the topic then, having already revealed more to him than she even understood for herself.

“So, you think that if you hadn’t met me you'd become a crazy old cat lady with Millie?”

Hux couldn't help but really laugh at that, and Rose found herself following suit as they chuckled at the idea of an elderly Hux with Millie and maybe another five or so cats in his house. Rose wiped tears from her eyes as their laughter began to die down.

“I hadn’t; I think she’d have been happy with me all to herself. I might have even decided to exclusively work from home to keep up the care for her, and many more cats I could’ve adopted.”

“Oh, she would. I bet she’d want more attention from you to make any other cats jealous of her.” 

Hux chuckled to himself at the thought of how Millicent really would start to hog as much attention as she could if she felt like anybody else was taking it from her. Hux sighed before he wanted to know more about Rose’s dating history having confessed his was practically nonexistent.

“So, we’ve talked more about my past not-dates, what about yours?”

Rose hummed, thinking about her answer as she tapped a finger to her chin. She thought back over her life and the few boyfriends she’d had in that time; most of those in her earlier life were more that people had called them dating. Her first few we’re during her school years and she never thought of them as more than close friends, but the social pressure of those times had them labelling each other as a boyfriend and girlfriend to make things easier. She had lost contact with most of them as they grew up and apart from their conflicting interests and dreams, despite that she hoped they were happy in life now. Then there was her college boyfriend who’d asked her out in their first semester, they’d hit it off in a shared class but as the years passed and workloads grew they found they wanted to focus on work more than each other. Rose smiled back at the memory as they both confused that while they did love each other, it wasn’t a romantic pull anymore. Rose almost felt her blush deepen as she looked at Hux waiting for his answer, feeling like the growing feeling she had for him was actually going down a romantic road.

“There’s been a few boyfriends, I had a few in high school, but I can’t say that it was anything more than friends with an extra label. We didn’t even kiss. I had one boyfriend in college that I thought would be more, but we drifted apart as our majors took more time than we could give each other so it was a mutual break-up and we still talk plenty. He’s had another girlfriend for a few years and she really gets him better than I had. I’m sure they’ll be planning a wedding soon.”

Hux was surprised at the way Rose spoke of her past relationships, finding that there wasn’t any heartbreak in her words, or if there was she was happy at where they were now that there were no ill feelings toward them. Hux began to wonder if she was also thinking of them in such a way because she had him, or he was at least hoping that it was because she has him.

“I guess, should we continue down this path, I’ll be following your lead. My ‘dates’ were always planned for me, so I trust your experience here.”

Hux smirked as Rose looked surprised by his words before she collected herself to smile. She felt herself begin to smirk back as she offered her own response. 

“Need me to give you some dating tips huh? Dating 101 for colleagues or Dating for Dummies?”

Rose grinned as all Hux could do was scoff and roll his eyes. He barely thought about his words before he said them, finding the words to be too true to have needed him to think of what to say.

“I don’t need tips: just you.”

Rose stared at Hux as she processed his words. She hadn’t expected him to slip up just as she had. Hux looked back at her in the same fashion, and they both found themselves blushing now, as their words began to sink in.

“I don’t suppose we’re both thinking that we do both want to see where this goes?”

Hux asked, as he then reached to drink from his own glass of water. Rose glanced down at their still linked hands before she met his gaze again. Hux swallowed as he let his own eyes flicker in the same way. 

“I think we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t.”

They were only interrupted from continuing by the arrival of their food, as the server efficiently set down their meals and asked if they needed anything else. Hux answered for them both, only requesting some wine to share over their meal.

“Well, if I’m going to accept that this should be my first real date we should at least share a little wine and continue hmm?”

Hux has phrased it like a question as he squeezed Rose’s hand lightly before taking his hand back to begin eating. Rose nodded, deciding that she really did want to see this as the first of many dates. 

“So, when can I expect you to take me out on our next date?”

Rose asked, before taking her first bite of the meal. She hummed to herself finding that it tasted just as good as she hoped as Hux finished his own mouthful.

“Well, if it was up to me I simply wouldn’t take you back. So I guess we should take this at a reasonable pace and go for an official date once a week or so. I guess this would have an effect on your cat sitting, but regardless of our relationship I would still like to pay you for that time.”

Rose frowned at Hux, she didn’t really even need the money. She was only saving up the money from him for herself as her paycheck already covered the necessities. 

“I don’t need that money, and you can’t decide for me. I simply won’t take it. You have more money than either of us need and I get by just fine. I’m not here for your bank Hux, I’m here for you.”

“Then take it as a tip, to cover the expense of traveling to my home-”

“Hux, I really do understand how you don’t want it to seem like taking me for granted but I actually do enjoy spending time with Millie. Just put that money aside if you feel like you owe it to me and donate it to charity.”

“I … Fine, I’ll do that, but I warn you that you can’t stop me from spoiling you when I want to. It is my money, and if I want to spend it on you I can.”

Rose wanted to object to his offer but as she opened her mouth Hux was quick to reach across and feed her food as her mouth hung open in shock. Rose scowled as he looked pleased with himself that she had to chew and swallow before replying.

“You are a hard man to handle, Armitage Hux.”

Hux laughed as she insisted on using his given name to get her point across. Rose took another bite of her food to stop herself from laughing too, trying to remain annoyed with him. He was right that he could do as he wished with his money, but Rose still felt a little awkward that all he wanted to do was spend it on her. Her mind flashed to many movies she’d seen where the rich boyfriend would delight his girlfriend on a shopping trip, and the ones that even took it as far to buy them a home and a new car. Rose hated that some part of her found it appealing, to know somebody wanted to support her, especially growing up with a family that hadn’t often been able to do so. She would have to make sure he didn’t take things too far, buying dinner and the occasional gift she could handle.

“I’m sure you’ll be learning soon just how much of a handful I can be Rose. If you hadn’t noticed looking at Millie’s beloingsing alone I truly do love to spoil the ladies in my life.”

Rose blushed as she continued to eat, using the food as an excuse not to speak now. Hux was amused as she tried not to react to him, but he could tell that she knew he was being truthful.

“So, what future dates do I need to plan?”

Rose shrugged, unsure if he meant a date she wanted to go on, or dates that most people typically had.

“Well do you want to be traditional or...?”

They were interrupted again by the waiter bringing their wine; they smiled as Hux assured them that this would be all until dessert, leaving them alone until they’d finished their meal.

“What would you prefer?” 

Hux was genuine as he asked, and Rose had to think to herself about what types of dates she wanted to go on.

“It sounds stupid but I actually do like movie dates, I like to go for food afterwards to talk at length about it and what I did or didn’t like. I do like museums but I go to learn more than to just look around at things. I enjoy casual dinners, like this, but I think that there's only so much conversation you can hold before you have to think of things to talk about. I love staying in too, sometimes I think just sitting together watching boring TV in pyjamas is just as good as going out. I don’t like theme parks much, I always end up getting so sick after going on rides that it spoils the fun. I’ve always found it weird when a couple spends all their time together too, so don’t assume I can drop plans for you.”

Hux nodded, taking in all the information as he thought of what to plan for their next date. He’d found no matter how cliche some of them may have been for most people, the fact he’d hardly done any of them meant that his experience with Rose was sure to be his favourite.

“I’ve not been to the movies in such a long time. I’m sure we could have some very interesting discussions over a meal afterwards if you'd like?”

Hus had decided that he should take her idea in order, hopeful that she’d told him in that way as a guide. Rose nodded as she ate, finding that she’d been eating faster than usual to dodge his questions before. Hux only smiled as he noticed just how quickly she was eating too.

“Shall I call the waiter to get dessert?”

Rose was about to say no before she realised that Hux wasn’t asking if she wanted dessert, but when. She sighed, accepting that he was going to spoil her regardless and nodded. Rose took a large sip of her wine as her glass was still full. Hux smiled, taking another sip of his own.

Hux signalled the waiter to only bring one menu and Rose frowned at him as he did.

“I don’t have much of a sweeth tooth; please, just let me treat you to the dessert.”

Rose continued to frown at him but his expression didn’t change so she accepted it, but she wondered if she could at least get him to try some when it did arrive. The waiter left the menu with her as he cleared away their plates, giving her the time she needed to look through everything available. She felt her mouth water at the large list but ultimately decided to go for some classic fudge cake, sliding the menu to the edge of the table of his return.

“So, what movie will we be seeing?”

Hux shrugged at Rose’s question, unsure of what she liked or even what movies were being shown.

“Anything you’d like, I don’t keep up with the latest releases. The choice is yours, including when and where. Though afterward I’d like to choose where we eat. The cost is on me before you even think about that.”

Rose rolled her eyes, having already assumed he’d be doing that. She tried to think of what they could watch but wasn’t even sure herself.

“I’ll do some research when I get home, I’m sure that there's something I’d like to see.”

She smiled at him as the waiter returned, telling him what she'd like before turning her attention back to Hux as he finished his wine. She tilted her head wondering why he didn’t request another glass.

“I’ll be driving us home Rose, one glass is more than enough. I like to not take any risks, especially now that I have somebody else with me.”

Rose nodded, understanding him and finished her own glass, deciding one glass each was enough for them both. She could already feel the flush in her cheeks from drinking. Hux decided to reach his hand across the table again, and this time Rose didn’t hesitate to take it, feeling like it was made for her to hold.

They both looked at each other in silence feeling peaceful in the low light of the restaurant. Hux let his eyes close as he took a deep breath, feeling the peace though his whole body, the tension of work loosening from his shoulders. Rose smiled as she watched him relax more than she’d ever seen. It didn’t take long for her dessert to arrive, and she smiled as she noticed that they had brought double the cutlery needed to eat it.

Hux still has his eyes closed, his thumb running absentmindedly against the back of Rose’s hand as she used her free hand to take a piece of the cake onto a fork.

“Hux.”

She said simply to make him open his eyes, just like he had earlier, she leaned forward with the fork to get him to eat some of the cake. He complied as he rolled his eyes.

“Good?”

She asked as he nodded, still savoring the rich flavour in his mouth before he swallowed. Rose grinned as she left the fork on the plate where he could reach it before taking her own piece. She eyes him as he watches her eat until he sighed and gave in, taking another small piece for himself.

“If you enjoy spoiling me then you can expect me to share.”

They finished the cake faster than their meal, and Rose excused herself to go to the bathroom as Hux went to pay. He waited at the table for her to return, shrugging off his own coat jacket for her. When she returned she huffed a laugh but allowed him to drape it over her shoulder as they made their way to leaving the restaurant. He only took a few steps before Rose had taken his hand in hers, just as easily as they had over dinner.

Hux smiled as Rose held his hand and leaned into his arm for the short walk back to his car. The date had been an enjoyable experience, one that made Hux feel more relaxed and at ease than he’d ever felt. Hux wanted to pull Rose closer and not let her go, fully enjoying the peace she’d brought to him. Hux opened the door, and as soon as her hand left his, he felt an uncomfortable feeling run up his spine. He really didn’t want to let her go. Rose kept her head down as she got settled into the car, feeling warm over her whole body. She wasn’t sure if it was the wine of the company but it was an oddly pleasant feeling. Rose grinned as Hux sat in the driver's seat, this time offering her hand for him to hold. Hux wasted no time to start the car and accept her offer, even deciding to drive as slowly as he could manage to spend as many seconds as he could with her beside him.

“I had a lovely time.”

Rose looked over at Hux instead of outside the window with a smile on her face. Hux glanced down and back, paying attention to the road ahead as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“So did I. Would it be too soon to ask you to join me again soon?”

Rose laughed, the light sound was something that Hux wanted to listen to for longer. He stole a glance in Rose’s direction every time he could afford to take his eyes off the road.

“I’d like that, it’s not too soon at all. Why shouldn’t we let ourselves have this?”

Hux hummed in agreement: it was about time he allowed himself pleasures of life. Rose’s company was definitely something he wanted more of, over dinner, at work, anywhere. Hux was tired of having his whole life revolve around work and more work. The quiet let Hux think for himself instead of about deadlines and trip, about anything  _ other _ than work. The quiet of his mind was something new to him, and he enjoyed the feeling. Rose was bringing some silence to the rush he normally had to comb though.

“We should definitely let ourselves enjoy this.”

The pair let themselves enjoy the peace of the ride back to Rose’s home. The quiet was theirs to have and relax into. Hux let his thumb rub over the back of Rose’s hand softly without any particular rhythm. When Hux pulled up outside he let out a deep breath, knowing soon that his bubble would be broken.

Hux got out of the car to open the door for Rose again, taking her hand in his now feeling natural to him. Rose leaned into his arm playfully, before drawing away from him as she reached her door.

“Thanks, for this-”

“Date.”

Rose smiled up as Hux smirked, finishing her sentence. He swallowed as he let her hand go, about to let her go back home before he decided to take something for himself. He bent slightly, kissing her forehead softly before standing up again. Rose flushed red, flustering as she dug through her purse for her key. Hux chuckled at her, taking a step back to give her some space as she fiddled with the key in her hand.

“I’ll see you soon, Rose. Have a good night.

“You, too!”

Rose called after him as she hurried to unlock her door and cool her face; she could almost feel his lips still pressed to her skin. Hux walked with less heavy steps, unable to hide the smile from his face as he got back to his car, he gave her home one last look before pulling away. He had to plan ready for their next date. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the fluff. I hope to start working on the next chapter when the inspiration strikes (As lately I've been playing too much Animal Crossing, or re-watching Criminal Minds, plz send help, lockdown is killing my vibe)
> 
> This is my gift from me to you, on my birthday :D


	5. Calling a Bluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my personal life has been a whirlwind lately meaning this chapter took me forever (apologies) I didn’t expect this little one-shot to get so much love for me to want to write more. Recently members of this fandom helped me out to be able to apply for financial support so I pushed myself to get this chapter done and out as an additional thank you than the little sketch I made, so this chapter is dedicated to you guys <3 I’m also sorry for if this has continuity issues because I have lost the ability to read without needing to take breaks so going back over what I’ve already published is a struggle.
> 
> I didn't ask Brit to beta this to just get it published (and i know her work has been stressful :( ) so all the mistakes are there fresh from me missing words and letters because of how fast I was typing haha. I hope you enjoy ^^

“Spill.”

Rose jumped at the sound of Rey’s voice behind her, almost dropping part of the office’s copy machine in the process. Rose set down what she was doing, looking up to see Rey stood with her arms crossed and smirking. 

“Uh, spill what Rey?”

Rey took a careful step backwards, closing the door to the copy room and leaning against it, ready to stop anybody from coming in. Rose swallowed nervously, unsure what Rey was planning.

“Just a little thing that Paige told me, and you haven’t.” 

Rose frowned, wondering what on earth Paige would know that Rey wouldn’t. She went over everything she’d done with her sister for the last few weeks, before realising it wasn’t anything she’d done with Paige. Rose looked back at Rey with wide eyes, covering her mouth with both hands to cover her gasp.

“Ah, so you  _ do _ remember. Details Rose, now.”

Groaning Rose shot Rey a pleading look.

“Ok, Ok I promise i will tell you but not right now, at work. We can grab a bite after shift?”

Rey smiled sweetly, moving from the door and opening it again. 

“I’ll hold you to this, and I guess for now your secret is safe with me. I’ll text you when I’m done for the day. I also think the toner is low, but Ben insisted that because i wasn’t hired to fix things I should leave them alone.”

Rose laughed as Rey rolled her eyes, she knew that Rey definitely could fix the machine, albeit with any method that isn’t recommended. With a wink Rey left, leaving Rose to her thoughts and her work. 

Fixing the copy machine didn’t require much of her attention, this was the type of thing she was sure could be done blindfolded, but no matter what she was only distracted by the thought of having to tell one of her best friends that she was somewhat secretly dating Hux. She and Hux hadn’t really even discussed it, not even sure if they were at the stage of being each other's boyfriend or girlfriend. Wiping some stray hair from her face Rose decided maybe before she told Rey anything that she should ask Hux first. Rose tuned this over in her head as much as the parts she was fixing and reattaching on the copy machine, trying to get the fit in the right places. She didn’t want to scare Hux off, of making him feel like that really had to be anything this early in their … relationship. With a heavy sigh Rose switched the machine back on, the familiar mechanic buzz filling the air calming her nerves.

She left the room, taking down her makeshift ‘out of use’ sign on the door as she went back to her own cubicle to see what other jobs she needed to do, and where she could squeeze in a quick visit to Hux’s office. A quick scan of her list had a small gap in the middle of her day to grab a snack. Sitting down at her computer she pulled up her emails, just to check she didn’t have any urgent issues to fix for any of the other departments, letting out a relieved sigh when her inbox was mostly empty other than some enquiries. She opened up a fresh email to Hux, sure that he would be quicker to respond to that than any phone call or text, especially if he was already on call.

_ Hux, I’ve got a quick break around 2 O’clock, do you have any time around then for a talk? Nothing to worry about, just something I‘d prefer to ask in person. _

_ -Rose _

Hitting sent, Rose closed the page, picking up her work tasks and going about getting a few of them done before checking back for the reply, sure that he would simply say he had no time, or he did but it would likely be later than two, nearer to his usual lunch break hour. With a last glance and small smile toward his office sheset about finishing up her work for the day.

-

Rose got through more of her list than expected by the time she got back to check her emails, especially after finding a few people with the same issue she was able to walk them all through the fix at the same time cutting down on needing to go over it multiple times. She fought back a smile as she opened up the file, quickly glancing back at Rey's desk to find her deep in some work where she wouldn’t be looking over her own shoulder to see what she was doing.

_ Rose, I actually had to move my lunch break up today so I can order in lunch for us to share while we talk. I’ll try not to worry too much in the meantime. I’ll order the usual for us, so you can take it back with you just in case somebody manages to crash a server and pull you away early. _

_ -Yours, Hux.  _

Rose couldn't help but laugh to herself, remembering how Poe had managed to input a wrong signal the week before and caused the server to shutdown for almost an hour which sucked up Rose’s entire break to fix and recover. Poe still owed her one for that, since she hadn't told anybody it was his mistake to save him the embarrassment and teasing from the whole office. His ego couldn’t take such a hit this early in the work week. Looking up at the clock to find she still had an hour before taking a break that she would have a longer break, providing there weren't any surprises.

“Are we still on for later?”

Rose jumped from, spinning in her chair to find Rey laughing behind her. Rose closed her eyes to take a deep breath, her heart hamming in her chest from Rey sneaking up on her for the second time. She opened them to find Rey peering over at her almost done job list. 

“Yeah, I might be able to clock off earlier unless somebody decides to break something again.”

Rey hummed to herself in agreement, and Rose could tell she wanted everything to go smoothly just to be the first person to get the details about what label she and Hux had.

“Well I’ll leave you to it, since it looks like your man is on the move.”

Rose turned to see Hux leaving his office, heading toward the back of the floor leading up to the upper management. The girls glanced at each other knowing that was normally never a good sign and Rose sighed knowing that their dinner plans may just be cancelled. Rey patted Rose’s shoulder giving her a comforting smile.

“Good luck with that girl, hopefully this time he won’t come down and go batshit about work ethic again. Mitaka stayed behind so it can’t be that bad since he doesn't look to be a wreck. Though i’m gonna head back to avoid the possibility he doesn’t take long to snap at me for not working.”

Rose snickered as Rey skipped back to her desk to try and keep things light, Rose looked over to see that Mitaka was in-fact just doing his usual duties seeming unphased by Hux having left his office. With the little peace of mind offered, Rose decided to at least finish the last of her work before the lunch plans, either way Hux had already ordered so there was no point letting the lunch hour go to waste.

Most of what she had left was all admin, and tracking all the issues of the day and what had been fixed or solved, and Rose lost herself in the familiarity of the paperwork before Hux voice cut through the air making her jump and spin to see him at his office door.

“Solo, Johnson, my office.”

Rose watched as the pair got up shooting each other a confused look before Rey looked over at Rose and shrugged. They both headed into the office and Rose wished she could be a fly on the wall to know what was going on. Taking a deep breath she turned back the last of her work, looking at the desktop clock ticking closer to lunchtime. Rose fought the urge to keep looking at the office, and forced herself not to turn when she heard the door opening with Rey and Ben leaving, though she did become aware that they were chuckling as they left, making Rose relax. An email notification popped up causing a smile to cross Rose’s lips.

_ Rose, lunch will be arriving shortly so I’m going to go ahead to the cafeteria to wait for you at the usual spot. _

_ -Yours, Hux.  _

Finishing up sendong off the last of her reports Rose grabbed all her stuff to head for lunch, purposely avoiding looking over at any of her friends as she felt anxious to the conversation she was about to have, and she knew no matter how curious she’d actually need to ask Rey about what happened in the office. Rose felt her fingers fidget as she walked toward where Hux was sitting with their meals, he’d set them out and was looking down at his phone waiting for her arrival. Rose glanced around at the few people here, it was an odd lunch hour meaning most of the staff were still working leaving most of the area vacant. Rose was sure Hux preferred this time because of that fact despite how often he would go out to eat or simply get something delivered to his office. Rose hated those days, he always looked haggard with paperwork and became irritable to everybody on the floor. Taking a deep breath Rose moved to her seat, smiling back as Hux smiled at her.

“How was work?”

Hux asked as he opened the lid to his salad, offeirn Rose a fork for her own.

“It was a standard day, nothing major broken. You?”

Rose picked at her own food trying to fish out the portions of chicken to save them all for last. Hux hummed to himself, considering his words. She could tell he was planning on how to tell her from the way his brows knitted together slightly. 

“It’s been a day, work itself wasn’t so bad but I had to take something to HR.”

HR?”

Rose asked confused, normally anything related to HR came through Mitaka or an email as she’d seen a few of his emails about new members to the floor complaining. Which while many times was reasonable, he was usually dismissive of new staff or just in a bad work mood and horrible to all. Most of the floor liked him as he was, there was mutual respect that he would make them work but can be relaxed as long as there wasn’t much to be done. Clearing his throat he nodded and looked up at Rose.

“I had to check over a few things and then double check that with Ben and Rey. Nothing to worry about much, but you wanted to talk?”

Rose suddenly felt anxious again, but held herself and took a breath. 

“Are we dating?”

Hux fumbled with his fork, dropping it down into his salad to stare. Rose suddenly felt uncomfortable like she’d said the wrong thing. Looking down Rose almost willed the ground to swallow her whole.

“You want to date  _ me _ .”

The strain in Hux voice got her attention, he almost looked to be hiding a blush. Rose laughed, hiding her head in her hands at just how awkward they both were being about being datable.

“I’m sorry, I just, I’d been questioning if you even wanted to date me. We’re a little bit of a mess don’t you think.”

“I do. It's actually- this.” Hus paused again, thinking over his words again which only made Rose smile again knowing she was able to make him this flustered and unable to form a complete sentence. “I actually went to HR to check on the rules of dating a coworker, and then I called in Ben and Rey to see if they had any help on the situation. So I picked up the  _ ‘consent forms’ _ on the chance you’d have said yes to me officially asking you out … which i guess is happening now. I wanted to make this a much more romantic endeavor and invite you out for a lovely meal, so I apologise that it's happening here, at work, over a salad.” 

Rose felt herself blushing, offering her hand to Hux over the table.

“I think that speech was romantic enough to beat out any fancy candle-lit dinner. But yes, I’d love to officially be dating you.”

“The papers are uh, in my office so we can sign those later?”

“Yes, let's finish lunch, boyfriend.”

“I like the sound of that, you calling me your boyfriend.”

“Well get used to it, I’m going to enjoy telling people from now on how you’re my boyfriend.”

“Well, not everybody.”

Rose tilted her head wondering what he meant.

“Well, I’m happy to tell many people I do in fact now have a girlfriend and that I’m very lucky that she’s you, I think it might be best to keep it quieter at work. I don’t want to ever make people think I’m prioritising you or playing favorites, or to have an abuse of power. I’m sure that Ben and Rey will be good at keeping it to themselves but I don’t want us to become gossip.”

“About that, we pretty much already are gossip I'm sure, or at least I’m sure people have an inkling. We can however pretend we aren't as make it into a game?”

“Go on.”

“Well, outside of Rey and Ben people are only speculating, but for the sake of office shenanigans I’m positive I can get them both in on this. I can let people know i’m your official cat sitter and that you’re just very particular -which is true- about the care Millie gets and make people think that's the only reason.”

“You really think they’ll buy it, I’m up for some fun and to not be seen as the cold asshole of the office for a while but this doesn't feel like something many people will be interested in long term?”

Rose huffed as she continued to eat, knowing that he was right, the dating rumors would likely still be happening even if everybody did know she was cat sitting. Rose looked up just as Hux took another bite of his own food.

“Does this make me Millie’s step-mom?”

Hus started to choke, as Rose realised what she’d actually said, and she rushed to offer him a bottle of water from her bag. He accepted it as he calmed down his coughing.

“I feel this is a discussion to be had with the child, but, yes.” Hux said as he cleared his throat, sure that he was no longer choking on some leaves. Rose smiled smugly, knowing Millie was already wrapped around her finger unlike Hux who was wrapped around her paw.

“I look forward to showing everybody my wonderful fur-child.”

Hix smiled softly at her, happy to have found somebody who loves Millicent as much as he did, and to actually love that person himself. Rose was satisfied with herself, knowing that the conversation she’d eventually have with Rey would result in plenty of squealing and an insistence that there be a future girls night. 

“I think we should still try and prank the office.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed these two idiots dancing around a crush while Hux showed he can be soft and Rose let it all happen. Pretty sure the office set up a betting pool the second Hux gave her his coat, they're going to be the hot topic of the super secret work group chat now.
> 
> P.S I have a GingerRose discord for fellow shippers a safe space, so feel free to drop me a DM on Twitter @TheKarmaDash or Tumblr KarmaDash-is-ShippingTrash for the link if you're interested.


End file.
